Whisky live 2018 Tel Aviv will take place Wednesday next week , and just in time for that M&H distillery (Based in Tel Aviv as well) has announced the release of it’s 2nd experimental 3 yo cask, this time a lightly peated spirit. Just like edition #1, this experimental expressions was distilled before the actual distillery equipment was in place, and distillation took place in a small still located in the Sharon area, by current M&H master distiller Tomer Goren and using very small scale equipment. The whisky was distilled in April 2014, and aged for 43 months in two cask types : first a 225 liter virgin oak cask, and after a period of 28 months, it was transferred to an ex-Bourbon cask for the rest of the maturation period at the distillery warehouse, and bottled recently.
The cask yielded 324 bottles (0,5 liter) at 46% abv, which are priced at 449 NIS ($130), which is of course not cheap, but quite limited… A first peated release, is always interesting, and at such a tender age of 3 yo, will it feel young? or will it feel more mature due to the hot maturation climate in Tel Aviv? Let’s find out.
M&H distillery experimental cask #2014-002, 46% abv , 449 ILS / $130 
Nose: A lovely sweet malty backbone , some citrus notes, and lemon peel, there’s a nice smoky touch to it, it’s not overpowering but it’s certainly there, adding as nice touch, vanilla, honeyed sweetness, and more subtle smoke. Feels young and fresh .
Palate: the smoke is more pronounced, a nice peatiness and vanilla sweetness, with a touch of ground pepper, and more smoke. there’s more citrus, this time : ripe oranges, vanilla and a sweet malty note as well, cardboard and some wood.
Finish: medium with quite some pepper, malt and cocoa, with the smoke and peat going for some time.
Conclusion:
I was pleasantly surprised by this whisky. It feels older than it’s 3 years, and certainly is very enjoyable. The smoke adds another dimension which adds to the complexity of the whisky without overshadowing the spirit, and the other aromas, which is lovely. There are quite a few bottles available, hence the pricing, but hopefully more peated whiskies are going to be coming soon, and I am very confident that if quality remains the same, we’re in for a treat in a couple of years’ time. Very good stuff indeed. Now, patience.
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